Re: Guide tube friction issue

[Dale Reed]

I'll let Rick or Josh give the definitive answer on the tubing material.  (I think it's PTFE -- trade name "Teflon".)

 

I've found that if you cut the tubing end with diagonal cutters or scissors, you can get a permanent constriction in it.  I cut mine with a razor knife to get a smooth cut and keep the end fully round.  Still, this cut will have a square edge, and if the filament has some surface texture, it might 'catch' a bit on this edge when entering the tube.  But I'm not sure what a good way might be to "flare" the end of the tube.

 

Some people have solved the problem by mounting the spool above the printer so it unspools pretty much directly into the extruder -- no tube required.  Search for "M2" objects on thingiverse for a setup that mounts the spool above and to the left of the printer.  You can print all of the pieces.

 

Dale

On Tuesday, May 21, 2013 10:35:33 AM UTC-4, iceb...@gmail.com wrote:

I've been using my M2 for a while and gotten some great prints - then I ordered some "pro" filament from Matter Hackers and I have a problem with all of the "Pro" filament - partway into the print the filament gear strips the filament and it stops feeding - I suspect it is several things all coming together to cause this to happen, here is what I've changed to use the filament and to try to eliminate the issue

1. The spools have very small holes I've been using this Spool Holder instead of the one that came with the M2.

2. I changed the Filament Guide to this one to help the filament feed straighter off the wide spool,

I've noticed the "Pro" filament has a different surface than the filament from Makergear or the regular filament from Matter Hackers when I pull it through the guide tube it is much harder to pull through - I measured the diameter of all the filaments I've been using and they are very close (the "pro" filament is a little smaller) so I'm guessing it is the surface it seems to be "Grippier" for some reason -  can anyone tell me what the M2 guide tube is made of?  Does anyone know if another material for the guide tube would help?

Thanks 

[Dale Reed]

http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:37210   It's the first item found if you go to thingiverse and search "M2".

[iceb...@gmail.com]

I printed out the parts and built the spool holder and it seems to solve my filament feed issue with the Matter Hackers "Pro" filament - I did have to use 1/2 inch copper pipe for the cross piece as the 1/2 inch PVC is too big for the spools from Matter Hackers.

Thanks for the tip